A Newark police sergeant was charged Thursday in connection with an off-duty crash that killed a traffic control officer last month while directing vehicles outside the Prudential Center, authorities said.
Victor Ortiz, a Newark police sergeant, was charged with aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide.
Just after midnight on December 11, police rushed to Lafayette Street in Newark after receiving a report of a traffic control officer being struck while directing motorists following a concert.
On December 11, an off-duty sergeant struck and murdered Newark traffic control officer Jairo Rodriguez, 53, while he was directing traffic. Photo credit: Newark Police Department.
Officers arrived on the site and discovered Jairo Rodriguez, 53, unresponsive. Officers took him to University Hospital, where they later pronounced him dead.
The sergeant remained on the scene and was taken to St. Michael’s Hospital in stable condition.
Sergeant Ortiz surrendered to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday morning and is being held in the Essex County Jail pending a court appearance.